Being A Social Researcher : Involve Your Passion or Quit!

Initially, I wasn�t really comfort being here but God always knows the best, right?

I am done compromising things. I found my dream job �I guess so-. I� ve been dreaming about working in an strategic government research institute, even I was dumped by Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI) at the final interview test, I am thankful because I am not joining to terrible problems in Jakarta; hot weather, crowded traffic, floods, bad transportation and environment.

Here I am, in Bandung, coolest city in.. West Java :p, Ancient Java Jogja and Solo both are still the best cities. I am working in an established government research institute in public policy now. Am I happy? Totaly! Its a long story about this dream job.

When I was studying in Sociology Department, Gadjah Mada University, even I had some interesting research experiences, I am still regretting for my less experience in social working. I was too busy of some freelance journalism jobs and hosting overseas students business. Then, when I did my bachelor's thesis, I was slapped by my bachelor�s thesis subject. They were a disabled people movement. They said that I am just exploiting their movements for my research. My bachelor thesis was about; how disabled people struggle for inclusive education? Is degree of discrimination decreased by inclusive school? How the curriculum modifficated?

�There are many of researchers, lectures came and go, asked, interviewed us. But no one come back to help us struggling and establishing access for disabled. They got award for research and movies but no one of them help us after that. I think you are same, miss. Then, just go and find another subject to exploit,� one of the activist of Dria Manunggal, initial disabled organization movement in Yogyakarta said. That was a humiliating moment for an academician like me. I thought academicians are intelligence, smart, they build concepts to solve problems. CRAP!! What i heard from the disabled activist just realized me that academician and researchers are just like... ivory tower, looks bright and awesome from above but they stay standing, couldn�t do things to help.

I met a inclusive school teacher, she was really nice. Her name is Bu Asih. She has been struggling education access for disabled students and taught students how to learn and respect diversities. She struggled to establish law No. 4/ 1997 about disabled rights protection and curriculum for inclusive education. She taught me about voluntarism. She started struggling disabled people with her husband and friends, one of them, Pak Setia Adi, he got an accident, and now he has problems with his eyes so that he can�t see things clearly. It was really unforgettable involving your self into their movements. They realized me about Antonio Gramsci�s theory about intellectual organic. There are three conditions for sucesfull social movements; concisousnes to empower their self from oppressing, communalism, and intellectual organic. Intellectual should come from the oppressed, not other outsider.

That experience taught me that a social research should have a strategic plan to change the problems. Its a kind of action research paradigm, but it needed. Action research is a reflective progressive in team or as a part of community practice to improve the way they address issues and problems. Because I believe when we include in a social movement and public participation research, at the same time we also involve in their movement spirit. Yeaah, I do agree with Foucault said; knowledge is power to change. Even I am not sure I can do that kind of research in my workplace or not because of the troubling administration research requirements, its my passion. Maybe at least I have to accommodate their voices to the authorities. How to make it work? Its a challenge. Being a social researcher is my passion, and how to commit your passion? Involve to it or quit.

... Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true... -Over the Rainbow Song, OST Alice in A Wonderland

Cool Raisa and Calm Monita

Setelah beberapa hari gue lunjak-lunjak nge-funk bareng mas Barry Likumahuwa di playlist gue sekarang gue lagi seneng ndengerin albumnya Raisa Andriana yang "Self Title" juga Monita Tahalea yang "Dream, hope and faith". Pas pertama kali gue denger lagunya Raisa yang serbasalah gue pikir karakter suaranya Monita, ternyata emang beda meskipun hampir mirip. Sama-sama jazzy sih. Untuk tema lagu-lagunya Raisa itu cewek banget, misalnya tentang menunggu seseorang, jengah sama mantan yang ngajak balikan, sampe romantisme masa lalu. Lirik-liriknya lumayan puitis, ga kayak lagu-lagu sekarang pada umumnya yang bikin liriknya ngasal. Nadanya juga lebih easy listening.

Kalo Monita, lebih jazzy dibanding Raisa. Tapi dua-duanya enak banget didengerin. Beberapa lagu di album "Dream, hope and faith" ada yang remakenya indra lesmana juga lagu-lagu lama kayak "Di Batas Mimpi" ama "Over The Rainbow" kesemuanya aransemennya kereeeeen banget. Jiwa tu ngerasanya calm dan tenang banget pas ngedengerin album monita yang satu ini. Gue rasanya kayak dapet semangat baru buat mewujudkan mimpi-mimpi gue. Keren deh dua-duanya.

Cooking Story Part 6 : Pasta Chicken Carbonara

Uwow! Balik lagi ke pelampiasan kestressan gue: Memasak. Kali ini gue ga mau belibet lagi ngejelasin resep dalam bahasa inggris yang sometimes... gramatically incorrect. Haha. Padahal gue juga ga ngerti ngapain gue cenderung mencampur basa inggris dengan indo dengan lidah cinca laura, even basa inggris itu bukan bahasa emak gue. Bahkan gue yang dulu sering nulis bahasa baku, sekarang jadi suka ngomong sok gaul dengan kosakata lo-gue. Humm,... pasti aktivis sumpah pemuda dulu pada nggeliat di kuburnya dan pingin noyor gue.


Eniwei busway, kalo gue lahir di Suriname mungkin gue bakal lebih menguasai bahasa inggris. Emang di Suriname orang-orangnya pada pake bahasa inggris gitu Tiw? Kagak, ya siapa tau aja gue bisa les di TBI atau EF cabang Suriname. Baiklaaah... mari kita toyor Tiwi bersamaaa. *siap dikeplak*


Balik lagi ke resep yang pingin gue share kali ini. Karena gue janji sama uni dan temen-temen seruangan gue kerja yang lainnya buat bikinin pasta asli italiano, so here i go. Beberapa hari yang lalu gue bbm-an sama kakak ipar gue yang sekarang tinggal sama kakak gue di Italia. Catet lho ya, kakak ipar gue berarti istrinya kakak gue, bukan kakaknya pacar gue. Yaaah.. terus terang sih gue lagi-lagi diputusin. *nangis darah* *garuk aspal* *Woy! Jangan curhat woy!*.


Jadi pada bbm itu gue nanya resep pasta yang orisinil Italia banget. Intinya,kata kakak ipar gue, konsep chicken carbonara pasta itu bawang yang ditumis sama lada hitam, ayam atau smoked beef, minyaknya olive oil dong, trus pastanya yang masih abis direbus panas-panas dimasukin kesitu diaduk sambil ditambahkan kocokan telur, keju parmesan dan lada hitam. Sebenernya keju parmesannya boleh diganti pake keju cheddar, soalnya di Indonesia harga keju parmesan lumayan mahal, seperempat kilo aja bisa nyame 70rebu yang bubuk. Tapi emang rasanya beda, lebih enak dan gurihan pake keju parmesan. Trus kalo milih telur yang dari ayam petelur aja, kalo dari telur ayam kampung, apalagi yang beli di supermarket suka ga bagus telurnya, ada beberapa yang udah ada embrionya, hiiii... jijay... kecuali kalo ada jaminan kalo telur ayam kampung itu bener-bener fresh diambil dari yang baru dikeluarin induknya. Selain itu, telur ayam kampung lebih lama matengnya dibanding telur ayam petelur.


Itu sedikit tips gue untuk pertimbangan keju dan telur yang dipake. Btw, kenapa namanya carbonara? Konon itu berasal dari kata carbonaro yang artinya pembakar arang, dulu jenis pasta ini biasa dimasak untuk orang yang biasa bikin arang, gite deh. Back to resep ya, Kakak ipar gue ga ngasih taker-takerannya, katanya sesuai selera. Oke, berikut ini, taker-takeran dari gue. Udah gue praktekin, dan humm taste perfecto! Dan cara masaknya guampang banget!

Resep Chicken Carbonara Pasta: (Untuk 8 porsi)
1. Ayam fillet 500 gr. Kalo mau yang lebih sehat dan cepet matengnya pas ditumis, pilih ayam fillet yang ga ada kulit dan tulamgnya. Cincang.
2. 500 gr pasta fusili atau pasta jenis apapun sesuai selera, tapi takerannya segitu ya.
3. Bawang putih 5 siung, uleg bareng 3 sendok tek garem dan sedikit aja penyedap non MSG
4. Lima butir telur
5. Lada hitam bubuk 5 sendok teh
6. Keju parmesan bubuk 5 sendok makan
7. 5 sendok makan olive oil.
8. Boleh ditambah mrica dan seledri atau oregano sebagai garnish.

Cara bikinnya:
1. Kocok telur, lada hitam dan keju sampe rata.
2. Panasin olive oil, tumis ulekan bawang putih, ayam dan lada hitam sampe ayamya mateng.
3. Masak pasta sampe al dente / kenyal.
4. Masukin pasta yang udah mateng dan panas ke tumisan bawang putih, aduk-aduk diatas api kecil.
5. Kalo udah rata, masukin adonan telur, aduk-aduk sampe telurnya mateng dan rata di pasta.
6. Pastanya siaaap! Taruh di piring, trus taburi keju parmesan bubuk, mrica/ lada putih dan daun oregano atau bisa diganti sledri. Tadaaaa! Yuk makan!!

Cooking Story Part 5 : Absurd Fishing and Ikan Mas Bumbu Rujak

My office mates had a year-end event, a kind of gathering, having fun, but the main event was.. Fishing! For me, fishing is the most boring and absurd activity. You have to be patient waiting for uncertain result, though you can easily buy fresh fishes in a market. Fishing is a delusion entirely surrounded by liars in old clothes. For you fishing lovers, I am sorry. But fishing seems to be the favorite form of loafing. I tend to go sleep. I never thought I spent this year-end by fishing, weirder, we were fishing in a fish pond. No wonder, there were many fishes. Those were my partly reasons why I didn�t do fishing. But finally, I had much fun, gaming with others non-fishing-lovers. Luckily, I got many of fresh goldfishes after that.

I intended to put those fishes in a fridge but a friend of mine suggested me to cook soon. It won�t taste good if i postpone cook it though I put it in a fridge. But those fishes were too many, i was soo tired and... missed my mom�s cook. My mom used to cook fishes in rujak seasoning. I ll explain about rujak. Rujak is a kind of javanese fruit salad with sweet hot sauce made from brown sugar and chili. So, i decided to cook those goldfishes or ikan mas (in bahasa) in rujak seasoning (bumbu rujak). Gotcha!

To prepare:
- 6 medium size goldfishes
- 250 cc of corn oil, why corn oil? It healthier than coconut oil or other frying oil.
- 400 cc of hot water
- 3 tea spoons of corriander
- 4 cloves of garlic, pound them.
- 7 cloves of garlic, mincethem
- 2 tomatoes, mince them.
- 10 tea spoons of salt
- 1 big cloves of onion, mince them
- 7 jalapeno chilis, mince them
- 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 4 teaspoons of javanese brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons of tapoika flour and 2 tablespoons of water, mix both.

How to cook:
1. 1st season: Crush the corriander, 4 cloves of garlic, and 6 teaspoons of salt, then pour 50 cc of water to it.
2. Pour the season 1 to the goldfishes and submerge it for 15 minutes.
3. Fry the seasoned goldfishes.
4. 2nd season: Saute the minced garlic, minced onion, minced jalapeno chilis, 4 teaspoons of salt, when it smells good, add the soy sauce, tomatoes, brown sugar, 350 cc of water and tapioca flour, mix them. Keep on mixing until it boiling.
5. When the 2nd season is boiled enough, add the fried goldfishes. Mix them and....
6. Goldfishes in rujak seasoning is ready to serve. Tadaaa!! Here the pics: